The governor is asking the White House and Congress to invest in jobs that pay family wages and improve our communities at the same time by financing “ready-to-go-projects” throughout the state and country.

In Washington alone there are 156 water and sewer projects worth more than $350 million, and 29 statewide transportation projects that would cost $75 million. All of these projects have gone through the design and environmental review process and could begin construction within weeks.

Deja vu. Public works spending — $6 billion worth — was a major component of President Bill Clinton’s first economic stimulus bill in 1993. The legislation was blocked by a Senate Republican filibuster and got the Clinton Administration off to a rocky start.